BCAT vs. BLW

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust (BCAT) and BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust (BLW).

Performance

BCAT vs. BLW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust (BCAT) and BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust (BLW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BCAT vs. BLW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
BCAT BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust	5.19%	16.78%	19.37%	19.30%	-22.64%	-5.21%	9.35%
BLW BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust	-6.05%	7.17%	11.06%	17.29%	-15.92%	13.52%	11.40%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BCAT achieves a 5.19% return, which is significantly higher than BLW's -6.05% return.

BCAT

• 1D: 1.87%
• 1M: -5.26%
• YTD: 5.19%
• 6M: 6.39%
• 1Y: 22.17%
• 3Y*: 16.08%
• 5Y*: 6.13%
• 10Y*: —

BLW

• 1D: 3.54%
• 1M: -7.04%
• YTD: -6.05%
• 6M: -5.50%
• 1Y: -1.77%
• 3Y*: 8.55%
• 5Y*: 3.30%
• 10Y*: 6.70%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

BCAT vs. BLW — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BCAT

BCAT Risk / Return Rank: 85
BCAT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 86
BCAT Sortino Ratio Rank: 83
BCAT Omega Ratio Rank: 83
BCAT Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
BCAT Martin Ratio Rank: 91

BLW

BLW Risk / Return Rank: 33
BLW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 34
BLW Sortino Ratio Rank: 27
BLW Omega Ratio Rank: 26
BLW Calmar Ratio Rank: 40
BLW Martin Ratio Rank: 38

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

BCAT vs. BLW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust (BCAT) and BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust (BLW). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BCAT	BLW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.57	-0.16	+1.73
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.21	-0.14	+2.34
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.31	0.98	+0.33
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.34	-0.05	+2.39
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.21	-0.24	+11.44
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BCAT vs. BLW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BCAT Sharpe Ratio is 1.57, which is higher than the BLW Sharpe Ratio of -0.16. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BCAT and BLW, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BCAT	BLW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.57	-0.16	+1.73
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.40	0.27	+0.13
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.46	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.40	0.40	0.00

Correlation

The correlation between BCAT and BLW is 0.39, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

BCAT vs. BLW - Dividend Comparison

BCAT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 22.92%, more than BLW's 10.79% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BCAT BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust	22.92%	23.45%	17.48%	10.08%	9.01%	6.42%	0.48%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
BLW BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust	10.79%	9.89%	9.39%	8.63%	8.26%	6.99%	7.39%	6.27%	7.14%	6.24%	9.68%	8.26%

Drawdowns

BCAT vs. BLW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BCAT drawdown since its inception was -36.13%, smaller than the maximum BLW drawdown of -44.13%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BCAT and BLW.

Drawdown Indicators

	BCAT	BLW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-36.13%	-44.13%	+8.00%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-9.65%	-11.19%	+1.54%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-35.03%	-26.30%	-8.73%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-41.85%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.25%	-8.05%	+1.80%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.18%	-6.03%	-7.15%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.02%	2.44%	-0.42%

Volatility

BCAT vs. BLW - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust (BCAT) is 5.10%, while BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust (BLW) has a volatility of 5.69%. This indicates that BCAT experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than BLW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BCAT	BLW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.10%	5.69%	-0.59%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	8.23%	6.69%	+1.54%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	14.22%	11.19%	+3.03%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.58%	12.37%	+3.21%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.02%	14.59%	+1.43%

Financials